3. Questions to Prof. Kees Christiaanse (KCAP)

In the course of the FENESTRATION BAU China, the BAU Congress China is taking place once again in 2017. In the run-up to the event, we were able to win internationally renowned speakers to help us with insight and answers on our chosen topics. The first short interview was held with Prof. Kees Christiaanse from KCAP, an expert on the issue of urban development in Asia. More detailed information on this topic will be available at the presentation by Prof. Christiaanse on November 8, 2017 at 1:15 p.m. during the BAU Congress China in Hall 2 of the Shanghai New International Expo Centers (SNIEC).

Question 1: You research urbanization processes worldwide and have found that Asian and Chinese cities are fundamentally different than European cities. What can we learn from each other?

Asian and European cities exhibit huge differences on the one hand, but they also have much in common. In general, though, it has to be said that one cannot speak of the “Asian” or “European” city. The cities of individual countries are heavily influenced by the local climate and culture and are therefore structurally different.

The most important difference between Asian and European cities has to do with their size. In Asia, residents are counted by the millions; in Europe, they are counted in steps of 10,000 or 100,000 residents. Asian cities also grow very quickly, and this is almost never the case in Europe anymore.

Kees Christiaanse DEF_(c) R. Broekhuijsen

Despite these differences, cities throughout the world are characterized by: density and compactness; social, cultural and economic diversity and potential for innovation. The role of the public space as a marketplace and interaction area is filled differently, but resembles each other in essence.

What we can learn from each other: European cities have a higher quality of life, living spaces are larger and there is more open space. There is much less environmental pollution here. Housing concepts or the management of water and green space is something we could share with Asian cities. We could likewise learn something from the Asian public transport system and mobility concepts. Communication about urbanization concepts should be fluent, because we can enrich each other.

Question 2: How will cities develop, particularly those in Asia and China? Do you have an example of a particularly visionary city planning concept from Asia?

As I said, there is no clear-cut city model. The city will develop as two extremes: On one hand, the urbanized landscape; on the other, the compact city with many transitional forms. Because the urbanized landscape in particular is a “productive” landscape, in which agriculture, industry and large infrastructure blend with small scale developments and water management, environmental protection and technical and mobility infrastructure are essential for sustainable development, this urbanized landscape is a future model to strive for. The compact city, on the other hand, has the advantage that it is constantly renewing itself.

Question 3: You teach urban development at both the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, and at the FCL in Singapore. How different is the content that is taught?

future landscape_KCAP-SAA-Arup

There is a significant difference between the two positions. At the ETH Zurich, my main emphasis is on instruction, with research only conducted alongside that. Instruction means: We are educating Bachelor and Master students to be competent in urban development.

At the FCL in Singapore, research is the primary focus. Here, I move about in a different environment consisting of fully educated experts. In addition, our projects at FCL are financed by the National Research Foundation in Singapore – which helps us develop solutions for challenges in urban development.